I know that every year you are bamboozled by the same question: what exactly do you get me for my birthday? 

Thankfully, the world has no shortage of brilliant brains constantly coming up with new must-have gadgets. Here are the 14 best kitchen birthday presents I never knew I needed… until I saw the ad.

1. PEANUT BUTTER SPOON 

This has been ergonomically designed to get every last skerrick of PB out of the jar, including the stuff on the recessed bottom edge that you can never reach with your finger. 

2. MEATBALL SCOOP 

Tired of rolling your meatballs by hand? Just dig the two hollow semi-spheres on the ends of these tongs into your meatball mix and squeeze them together for instant balls. Priced at a competitive $25 – although they’re only actually competing with a $4 ice-cream scoop repurposed to make meatballs… or your oiled hands.

3. PINEAPPLE CORER 

This stainless-steel device will satisfy all your pineapple-coring needs. It will also be suitably cumbersome in your drawer, hiding from sight the things you really need, like the veg peeler and kitchen thermometer.

4. WHISK CLEANERS 

How do you know your hand whisk isn’t hiding all kinds of nasties that have been gathering in those hard-to-reach-with-a-sponge nooks and crannies? Designed to get in between the metal wires, the whisk cleaner will make sure no food scraps remain. 

5. FOOD CUBBY 

Do you have friends, or most likely children, who freak out if different foods touch? The Food Cubby is your salvation. Suckers attach this colourful mini plastic dam to any plate and, voila, your peas and pasta shall remain separate. 

6. STUFFED-BURGER PRESS 

Ever wondered how to give your burgers a filled centre of mac ’n’ cheese or garlic shrimps? Here’s your solution. This cup allows you to form, hollow, fill and top your burgers with ease, no matter what you want to put in there. Seriously! I’d like two at least!

7. PORK-PULLING CLAWS 

The barbecue is a large barrel where a whole heap of open-mouthed and cashed-up fish swim around, waiting to be shot. These are usually men lured by a butch name and the promise of practicality – even if that copper grill mat or patented garlic slicer will just live in the cupboard on top of the macho-looking case of barbecue tools that also never get used.  Having said that, I wouldn’t mind some of those long hooks for turning meat, just for their name: pigtail food flippers. And surely it would be easier pulling apart that lamb or pork shoulder with a pair of specially designed shredding claws. They’re only about $20. Ordinary dining forks are too small to do the job quickly… or so the sales pitch says.

8. THE LEVO II HERBAL INFUSER

I normally just make herb-infused oil by frothing the oil with salt and then blending in the herb, but this device is way more high-tech. It looks like a coffee-pod machine and even has an accompanying app for remote operation and monitoring.

9. PROBLEM-SOLVERS 

I’m sure that, like me, you’ve at some stage asked yourself, how do I: 1) use that mandolin without slicing the tops off my fingers; 2) cut wavy-edged potato chips and; 3) remove the core out of a banana and then stuff it with something else that’s totally tasty? The answers, respectively, are to purchase: 1) the Dash Safe Slice Mandolin, where all the blades are enclosed; 2) a $4 wavy-edged potato cutter and; 3) the rather brilliant Banana Loca corer and filler – that I will use at least once when I get it… if not more.

10. JUST CRUNCH ANTI-SOGGY CEREAL BOWL 

Put me down for six. This segmented bowl has one side for milk and the other for cereal. You just add a spoonful of cereal to the milk when you’re ready to eat it to avoid the slushy disappointment at the bottom of the bowl. 

11. TACO PLATES 

Eating tacos can be a messy business. Taco plates solve that dilemma with its raised ridges that prevent your tacos from tumbling. They also have plastic wells for your salsa, guac or beans.

12. THE SPILLNOT CUP CARRIER 

Say goodbye to splashes of tea up the stairs and coffee spills in the car with this clever gadget. SpillNot makes use of the same physics concepts used on space missions to ensure the cup always remains level and the liquid never spills. Alternatively, you could just make your mug a little less full, but where is the fun in that?

13. SPLIT DECISION PANS 

So, you can’t decide whether you want a chicken or a beef pie. These pans with a metal division down the middle mean you can make both. Apple on one side, fish pie on the other? Why not? Now all you need to do is top and bake. You can also buy Trisagna pans that allow you to make three different lasagnes in the same pan. This sounds horribly fiddly to me.

14. A 1922 FIRST EDITION OF EMILY FUTTER’S AUSTRALIAN HOME COOKERY

Again, it’s unlikely that I’ll ever use this, but just like the other ideas above, it will make me feel safe and secure that I have it if I need it. It also has the first-ever Australasian pavlova-like recipe, so it’s kind of iconic!